The Iowa Records Committee was established in 1982 to review extraordinary avian reports in order to assure that publications of both historical and contemporary reports were supported by carefully examined evidence, and to maintain a central repository of this information. The species in the review list always require documentation, reviewed by the seven member Records Committee, to archive the details of birds rare in Iowa. 

The Records Committee also provides support to eBird reviewers and seasonal field reports editors in evaluating specific records of difficult-to-identify species prior to publication, either in print or electronically when a collective opinion might be beneficial.

With the proliferation of quality digital images and the adding of a layer of external review which agrees with the goal of publishing only well-evidenced species, the Records Committee has begun to redefine Iowa's Review List, the list of species for which reports require a full seven-member review.  In 2024, the Committee agreed to align the Review List with the list of species that have "accidental" status in the state, that is, species that have been recorded in 4 or fewer years of the last 10 years.  As always, seasonal field reports editors and eBird reviewers may request a full review of questionable IDs, but generally good photographs will be enough to satisfy the evidence requirement.

Status of Greater Prairie-Chicken: This species is regularly recorded in the Kellerton Grasslands in Ringgold County, but the viability of that population is subject to much debate. Birds encountered elsewhere, usually in winter, are considered accidental.